Who decided to make English the hardest language?
By uath13
@uath13 (8192)
United States
August 31, 2007 8:19am CST
Its school time again so you know what that means. Homework and spelling words.
I've been going over my daughters words with her & it makes it no surprise that english is so complicated.
In most languages a sound has only one symbol & a word can only be spelled one way with one definition.
In our language language a word could be spelled several different ways with several different unconnected definitions.
Here are a few examples from her vocabulary words of how screwed up our language is.
Ate - past tense of eat. To have consumed.
Eight - The number 8
Write - To put words to paper
Right - a direction opposite of left , also correct.
Slay - What Buffy does to Vampires
Sleigh - The transportation method of Santa
Hi - a greeting
High - way up
Wait - stop until something happens, delay
Weight - how much something weighs
Plane - Airborn transportation
Plain - Flat grassland or to smooth out.
There are lots more similar ones which I'm dreading in the coming weeks.
Who came up with this goofey system? Are other languages like this?
5 people like this
6 responses
@gtargirl (5376)
• United States
26 Oct 07
I'm pretty sure Hebrew, Greek and some of the older languages have muliple meanings for one word. And I heard that Latin is just really hard. I came from Holland (speaking fluent Dutch of course)when I was eight. I learned English in a couple of days and went to school right away. Scary but I got through it.
1 person likes this
@peanutjar (5198)
• Canada
21 Oct 07
Hi uath!It is true that its hard.I live in a french speaking town.My mother tongue is english.Ive learnt french here.In french 1 word means 1 word.In english 1 word can mean 2-3 diffrerent ones.No wonder my boyfriend gets mixed up alot.haha Deer(1 or many)=dear;moose(1 or many).What he has a problem with is the past present and future tense of the words like:seen,saw;Will,would,wouldve.Holy cow even i have a problem sometimes,hahaha.BUT in french it is hard ALOT.There are femimine and masculine words like "(my house)ma maison;its feminine"..."(my feet)mes pieds;still trying to figure this one out,haha.I hate these "mes,ma,mon".I think comparing the two that engish is easier than french because of the prounous,verbs and mascuine,feminine.
Peanutjar:)
1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
22 Oct 07
Oh yes, all that masculine, femine nonsense for inanimate objects is totally mad. Sorry Frenchies and others but chairs and table do not have sexes
all the best urban
2 people like this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
21 Oct 07
Well, English is primarily a Germanic language but borrows heavily from Latin (And 146 other languages) so there are always two if not more influences. Additionally we have more words than most languages. It has been estimated that a graduate from a UK university may have a personal vocabulary greater than the total vocabulary of some languages. This lends it a unsurpassed degree of accuracy and subtlety of expression.
Some more bizarre English oddities.
Bus conductor to a passenger, "Come on, get off!" Meaning hurry getting off the bus.
We can sit up or sit down.
Plane is also a carpenters tool and the description of a not particularly attractive person
All the best urban
1 person likes this
@nehems (109)
• Indonesia
6 Sep 07
you maybe...........?
i am indonesian but i don't think soo.
i loved to learn english
:)
